O bydded i’r hen iaith barhau / 
May the Language Endure for Ever, 2025
Site-specific performance

Tsubasa Kato invites four Welsh musicians to play the national anthem of Wales with a range of traditional instruments, include harp, crwth, tabwrdd, and pibgorn. The performance was site-specifically produced in a mountainous landscape in Wales, around the legendary megalith Maen Llia. When these players are tied together by ropes within a calculated distance, the movement of one individual will create a tension between each other – a tension that can intrude their playing of instruments. Being connected and controlled with and by ropes, the usual musical performance has been turned into unfamiliar forms of bodily expression. Each performer’s intended motion – to play and sing the right note, or to hit the right beat – may be restricted unexpectedly by a fellow team member, and at the same time, it can unintentionally become an obstacle for the others. The piercing sound of the hornpipe, the rustic, buzzy resonance of the lyre, crystalline tones of the harp and the angelic voice of the singer strive to come together to form the song – Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers). Through the mechanisms of performance, it is interrupted and fragmented, suppressed and distorted, yet, unified in sprit, and lifted by their collective power. 

Creative Process of Artist Tsubasa Kato

Participating artist elaborates their creative concepts and processes.

Performance Art Land 2025 Artist 

Tsubasa Kato

Tsubasa Kato is a Japanese contemporary artist who produces video, photographic, and other works involving performances in which multiple participants are prompted to engage in collaboration. He is highly acclaimed for the numerous studies and projects he has conducted around the globe. His projects and installations challenge the viewer to reconceive their sense of distance, resilience, balance, and connection between individuals. 

 

Kato's works have been showcased in numerous prestigious art museums and institutions worldwide, and are included in the permanent collection of the Mori Art Museum, The National Museum of Art, and other art institutions. Selected solo shows include Crematorium, MUJIN-TO Production, Tokyo, Japan (2025), Turf and Perimeter, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2021). Group shows include MOMAT Collection, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan (2024), NTCAM On the Move: Interweaving Travelers, New Taipei City Art Museum, Taipei, Taiwan (2023), The Ulsan Art Museum Collection: Future Collection” Ulsan Museum, Ulsan, Korea (2023). 



 

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